Wisconsin Wolf Hunt in Brief

There is so much debate about whether wolf hunting with dogs should be allowed in the State of Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project has tried to break the facts down into bite-size pieces with links to more detailed information. Please see its WI Wolf Hunt Overview page for the full history of the Wisconsin Wolf Hunt controversy.

Support Senator Risser's Bill

April 24, 2013

Senator Fred Risser, 26th Senate District, is introducing a bill banning dogs from the Wisconsin wolf hunt. Dog-wolf conflicts, especially during the denning season, are guaranteed to lead to death on both sides.

Please support Senator Risser's bill by signing this petition to The Wisconsin State House, The Wisconsin State Senate, and Governor Scott Walker.

Appeal Filed in Wolf Hunt Lawsuit

April 12, 2013

Plaintiffs filed an Appeal Friday morning with the Wisconsin Court of Appeals from the final judgment entered by Dane County Circuit Court Judge Peter C. Anderson on January 16, 2013, regarding Wisconsin DNR regulations governing the use of dogs to hunt wolves.

Action Alert: DNR Spring Hearings

Updated March 23, 2013

On Monday, April 8, there will be 72 public hearings, one in each county starting at 7:00pm, where individuals interested in natural resources management have an opportunity to provide their input by non-binding vote and testimony to the Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Board, and the Conservation Congress on proposed hunting and fishing rule changes and advisory questions.

WFHS stresses that this is a critically important opportunity for supporters to express concern over the controversial issues of expanding hunting in state parks and the use of dogs to hunt wolves. A strong turn-out would help to secure far-reaching support for legislative reform.

Risser Bill Will Prohibit Use of Dogs in Wolf Hunting

Updated March 4, 2013

State Senator Fred Risser is proposing legislation that would prohibit the use of dogs in the wolf hunt. Wisconsin is one of seven states that allow wolf hunting but the only state that allows dogs to be used in the hunt.

Action Alert: Contact Your Legislators

Updated January 9, 2013

On January 4, Dane County Judge Peter Anderson ruled that the use of dogs in training for wolf hunting will not be permitted. We are pleased that dogs will not be used in training, but disappointed that under this decision, dogs will still be permitted during wolf hunting season. Wisconsin is the first state to allow the use of dogs in wolf hunting.WFHS opposes the use of dogs in wolf hunting because it places dogs in dangerous, inhumane confrontations with wolves that will lead to injury or death. Quotas for Wisconsin’s wolf hunt were met in the first half of the allotted season without the need for, or use of, dogs, and the season was terminated earlier than originally planned.Please reach out to legislators, asking them to introduce legislation banning the use of dogs in wolf hunting. In Wisconsin, you can easily find your representatives and contact information by going to: http://legis.wisconsin.gov and clicking on the "Who Represents Me?" link.

Without a legislative remedy, Wisconsin, in effect, will be sponsoring and condoning state-sanctioned animal fighting--the setting of packs of dogs on packs of wolves with deadly and inhumane consequences. The majority of Wisconsin citizens oppose even the idea of enabling unleashed, radio-collared dogs to pursue wolves for their owners’ thrill as antithetical to their values and a threat to both their private property rights and safe use and enjoyment of public lands. This dangerous, unnecessary, and unprincipled hunting practice is outlawed in every other state in the country--for good reason.

As Circuit Court Judge Anderson stated in his ruling, the majority of folks in Wisconsin believe using dogs to hunt wolves makes no sense and is wrong, but that lawmakers and DNR sought to satisfy special interests, a small number of dog owners interested in engaging in this extreme conduct. This can and should be remedied.

A Democratic state senator plans to introduce a longshot bill that would prohibit Wisconsin wolf hunters from using dogs, marking another chapter in a months-long battle to stop the practice before it begins.

At a tense hearing Tuesday on using dogs for hunting wolves — at which one anti-hunting advocate was ordered out of the meeting — critics of the state's controversial wolf hunt argued that violent and fatal fights between dogs and wolves will be impossible to stop if the agency goes ahead with plans to allow dogs in the next hunt.

The Humane Society of the United States and other animal welfare groups filed a lawsuit Tuesday to restore federal protections for gray wolves in the western Great Lakes region that were lifted last year.

A coalition of wildlife protection groups, including The Humane Society of the United States, Born Free USA, Help Our Wolves Live and Friends of Animals and Their Environment, filed suit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over its decision to remove the protections of the Endangered Species Act from gray wolves living in the western Great Lakes region.

Wisconsin hunters can chase down wolves with dogs during the state season but cannot train them to pursue the animals during the rest of the year, a judge ruled Friday in a victory for animal advocates.

A bevy of animal rights organizations is leading a crusade to prevent confrontations between wolves and dogs, including a new group Environmental Reporter Susan Bence learned about called “Wisconsin Mainstream Hunters.”

Wisconsin wildlife officials have proposed new regulations governing when wolf hunters can train their dogs as they grapple with a lawsuit alleging their current wolf hunt policies will create bloody wolf-on-dog brawls.

Three cheers for the coalition of humane societies, including our own Dane County Humane Society, for filing a lawsuit this week against the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ plan for a wolf hunt this fall and winter.

Citing “state-sanctioned” animal fighting and violations of the state’s animal cruelty law, a lawsuit was filed Wednesday in an effort to stop the wolf hunting and trapping season scheduled to begin this fall in Wisconsin.